As the World Council of Churches has undertaken a major reorganization of its program this past year around the mandate from the 9th WCC Assembly in Porto Alegre "to do less, and to do it well," a new initiative has been to develop staff positions that represent new ways of collaboration and partnership across the life of the World Council. One of the first examples of this integrated approach in staffing is represented in a position, partially funded by the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), that combines the work of the Faith and Order Secretariat and a teaching faculty position at the Ecumenical Institute at Bossey in the area of ecumenical theology.
The Executive Committee of the WCC confirmed the appointment of Dr. Odair Pedroso Mateus to this joint position on March 3, 2007. Dr. Mateus, a member of the Presbyterian Church in Brazil, comes to this position after serving as the Theological Secretary in the World Alliance of Reformed Churches. A major focus of his work will be on the tasks of ecumenical education and formation.
In announcing this appointment, Dr. Samuel Kobia, general secretary of the WCC, underlined the importance of partnerships with member churches and mission agencies that have made the expanded teaching faculty possible at Bossey. He expressed his deep gratitude to the Disciples of Christ for their continued support to the crucial tasks of theological encounter and ecumenical formation in preparing the next generation of leaders. This new appointment follows the secondment of four Disciples who have worked in area of Faith and Order within the World Council of Churches for over 30 years: Dr. Robert Welsh (1974-76); the Rev. Steven Cranford (1977-1980); Dr. Michael Kinnamon (1981-1983); and Dr. Thomas Best (1984-present). .
Dr. Robert Welsh, ecumenical officer for the Disciples of Christ, celebrated the appointment of Dr. Mateus to this joint position, and expressed his hopes that this integrated style of work will bring new vision and energy to both the work of Faith and Order and the task of ecumenical formation at Bossey. He noted that he and Dr. Mateus had served together on the Bossey Board in the 1990s. "In not requiring that the person named be a member of the Disciples of Christ, I believe this secondment now becomes an even greater witness to the Disciples' ecumenical commitment. I have followed the work of Odair for several years, and have always appreciated his keen theological insight, along with his clear voice of challenge to the ecumenical movement that he brings from the Latin American context."
Rev. Dr Tom Best, interim Director of Faith and Order, expressed his hopes for the new joint appointment: "Faith and Order and Bossey have long had a close and fruitful relationship. This joint appointment sets the stage for a new era of equal partnership in the work towards the visible unity of the church and the task of ecumenical formation."
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